The Film Independent Spirit Awards (SPIRIT) have announced their winners for the best in independent film for 2025. Here are this year’s winners…
BEST FEATURE
Peter Hujar’s Day – Producers: Jonah Disend, Jordan Drake
The Plague – Producers: Derek Dauchy, Joel Edgerton, Roy Lee, Lucy McKendrick, Steven Schneider, Lizzie Shapiro
Sorry, Baby – Producers: Mark Ceryak, Barry Jenkins, Adele Romanski
Train Dreams – Producers: Michael Heimler, Will Janowitz, Marissa McMahon, Ashley Schlaifer, Teddy Schwarzman
Twinless – Producers: David Permut, James Sweeney
BEST FIRST FEATURE
Blue Sun Palace – Director: Constance Tsang, Producers: Sally Sujin Oh, Eli Raskin, Tony Yang
Dust Bunny – Director/Producer: Bryan Fuller, Producers: Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee
East of Wall – Director/Producer: Kate Beecroft, Producers: Shannon Moss, Melanie Ramsayer, Lila Yacoub
Lurker – Director: Alex Russell, Producers: Galen Core, Archie Madekwe, Marc Marrie, Charlie McDowell, Francesco Melzi D’Eril, Duncan Montgomery, Alex Orlovsky, Olmo Schnabel, Jack Selby
One of Them Days – Director: Lawrence Lamont, Producers: Deniese Davis, Poppy Hanks, James Lopez, Issa Rae, Sara Rastogi
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD – Given to the best feature made for under $1,000,000
The Baltimorons – Director/Writer/Producer: Jay Duplass, Writer/Producer: Michael Strassner, Producers: David Bonnett Jr., Drew Langer
Boys Go to Jupiter – Director/Writer: Julian Glander
Eephus – Director/Writer/Producer: Carson Lund, Writer/Producer: Michael Basta, Writer: Nate Fisher, Producers: David Entin, Tyler Taormina
Esta Isla (This Island) – Directors/Writers/Producers: Cristian Carretero, Lorraine Jones Molina, Writer: Kisha Tikina Burgos
Familiar Touch – Director/Writer/Producer: Sarah Friedland, Producers: Alexandra Byer, Matthew Thurm
BEST DIRECTOR
Clint Bentley – Train Dreams
Mary Bronstein – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Lloyd Lee Choi – Lucky Lu
Ira Sachs – Peter Hujar’s Day
Eva Victor – Sorry, Baby
BEST SCREENPLAY
Michael Angelo Covino, Kyle Marvin – Splitsville
Angus MacLachlan – A Little Prayer
James Sweeney – Twinless
Christian Swegal – Sovereign
Eva Victor – Sorry, Baby
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Andrew DeYoung – Friendship
Elena Oxman – Outerlands
Alex Russell – Lurker
Syreeta Singleton – One of Them Days
Constance Tsang – Blue Sun Palace
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE
Everett Blunck – The Plague
Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Kathleen Chalfant – Familiar Touch
Chang Chen – Lucky Lu
Joel Edgerton – Train Dreams
Dylan O’Brien – Twinless
Keke Palmer – One of Them Days
Théodore Pellerin – Lurker
Tessa Thompson – Hedda
Ben Whishaw – Peter Hujar’s Day
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE
Naomi Ackie – Sorry, Baby
Zoey Deutch – Nouvelle Vague
Kirsten Dunst – Roofman
Rebecca Hall – Peter Hujar’s Day
Nina Hoss – Hedda
Jane Levy – A Little Prayer
Archie Madekwe – Lurker
Kali Reis – Rebuilding
Jacob Tremblay – Sovereign
Haipeng Xu – Blue Sun Palace
BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Liz Larsen – The Baltimorons
Misha Osherovich – She’s the He
Kayo Martin – The Plague
SZA – One of Them Days
Tabatha Zimiga – East of Wall
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Alex Ashe – Peter Hujar’s Day
Norm Li – Blue Sun Palace
David J. Thompson – Warfare
Adolpho Veloso – Train Dreams
Nicole Hirsch Whitaker – Dust Bunny
BEST EDITING
Ben Leonberg – Good Boy
Carson Lund – Eephus
Fin Oates – Warfare
Sara Shaw – Splitsville
Sofía Subercaseaux – The Testament of Ann Lee
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD
The Long Walk – Director: Francis Lawrence, Casting Director: Rich Delia, Ensemble Cast: Judy Greer, Mark Hamill, Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Tut Nyuot, Joshua Odjick, Charlie Plummer, Ben Wang, Garrett Wareing
BEST DOCUMENTARY
Come See Me in the Good Light – Director/Producer: Ryan White, Producers: Jessica Hargrave, Tig Notaro, Stef Willen
Endless Cookie – Director: Peter Scriver, Director/Producer: Seth Scriver, Producers: Dan Bekerman, Alex Ordanis, Jason Ryle, Chris Yurkovich
My Undesirable Friends: Part I – Last Air in Moscow – Director/Producer: Julia Loktev
The Perfect Neighbor – Director/Producer: Geeta Gandbhir, Producers: Sam Bisbee, Nikon Kwantu, Alisa Payne
The Tale of Silyan – Director/Producer: Tamara Kotevska, Producers: Jean Dakar, Anna Hashmi, Jordanco Petkovski
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
All That’s Left of You – Palestine, Jordan, Germany, Cyprus, Director: Cherien Dabis
On Becoming a Guinea Fowl – Zambia, UK, Ireland, Director: Rungano Nyoni
A Poet – Colombia, Director: Simón Mesa Soto
The Secret Agent – Brazil, Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho
Sirāt – Spain, Director: Oliver Laxe
PRODUCERS AWARD
Emma Hannaway
Luca Intili
Tony Yang
SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD
Tatti Ribeiro – Director of Valentina
Neo Sora – Director of Happyend
Annapurna Sriram – Director of Fucktoys
TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD
Tony Benna – Director of André is an Idiot
Rajee Samarasinghe – Director of Your Touch Makes Others Invisible
Brittany Shyne – Director of Seeds
BEST NEW NON-SCRIPTED OR DOCUMENTARY SERIES
Citizen Nation – Creator: Bret Sigler, Executive Producers: Christopher Buck, Kyra Darnton
Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time – Executive Producers: Jonathan Chinn, Simon Chinn, Ryan Coogler, Myles Estey, Ted Skillman, Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, Peter Nicks, Kalia King, Carolyn Payne, Sean David Johnson, Co-Executive Producer: Kelli Buchanan
Pee-wee as Himself – Executive Producers: Matt Wolf, Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Ronald Bronstein, Eli Bush, Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie, Paul Reubens, Candace Tomarken, Kyle Martin, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, Sara Rodriguez
Seen & Heard: The History of Black Television – Executive Producers: Issa Rae, Montrel McKay, John Maggio, Rachel Dretzin, John Ealer, Jonathan Berry, Dave Becky, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, Sara Rodriguez, Co-Executive Producers: Esther Dere, Zachary Herrmann
Vow of Silence: The Assassination of Annie Mae – Executive Producers: Ezra Edelman, Caroline Waterlow, Amy Kaufman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Riva Marker, Co-Executive Producer: Mark Becker
BEST NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
Adolescence – Creators/Executive Producers: Jack Thorne, Stephen Graham, Executive Producers: Philip Barantini, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Nina Wolarsky, Hannah Walters, Mark Herbert, Emily Feller, Co-Executive Producers: Carina Sposato, Niall Shamma, Peter Balm
Common Side Effects – Creators/Executive Producers: Joe Bennett, Steve Hely, Executive Producers: Mike Judge, Greg Daniels, Dustin Davis, James Merrill, Sean Buckelew, Benjy Brooke, Kelly Crews, Suzanna Makkos, Co-Executive Producer: Dave King
Forever – Creator/Executive Producer: Mara Brock Akil, Executive Producers: Regina King, Susie Fitzgerald, Shana C. Waterman, Reina King, Anthony Hemingway, Judy Blume, Erika Harrison, Sara E. White, Co-Executive Producer: Jerron Horton
Mr Loverman – Executive Producers: Lennie James, Hong Khaou, Jo McClellan, Faye Ward, Hannah Farrell, Hannah Price
North of North – Creators/Executive Producers: Stacey Aglok MacDonald, Alethea Arnaquq-Baril, Executive Producers: Garry Campbell, Anya Adams, Susan Coyne, Miranda de Pencier, Co-Executive Producers: Teresa M. Ho, Michael Goldbach, Kathryn Borel Jr., JP Larocque
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
Sydney Chandler – Alien: Earth
Stephen Graham – Adolescence
Ethan Hawke – The Lowdown
Lennie James – Mr Loverman
Anna Lambe – North of North
Lola Petticrew – Say Nothing
Seth Rogen – The Studio
Lovie Simone – Forever
Michelle Williams – Dying for Sex
Noah Wyle – The Pitt
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
Ariyon Bakare – Mr Loverman
Babou Ceesay – Alien: Earth
Sharon D. Clarke – Mr Loverman
Taylor Dearden – The Pitt
Erin Doherty – Adolescence
Stephen McKinley Henderson – A Man on the Inside
Poorna Jagannathan – Deli Boys
Xosha Roquemore – Forever
Jenny Slate – Dying for Sex
Ben Whishaw – Black Doves
BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
Asif Ali – Deli Boys
Wally Baram – Overcompensating
Owen Cooper – Adolescence
Michael Cooper Jr. – Forever
Ernest Kingsley Junior – Washington Black
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
Chief of War
What do you think of the winners? Please let us know your thoughts on our X account. Click here for more upcoming awards season dates, here for the most recent tally of awards season winners, here for our precursor tracker, and here for our current Oscar predictions.
